China's Major Bridges

In response to continuous economic development over the past 30 years, China has mobilized a program of large scale bridge construction. The technology of various types of bridges, including girder bridges, arch bridges, and cable-supported bridges, has been developed rapidly. Bridge spanning capacity has been continuously improved. Girder bridges with main span of 330 m, arch bridges with main span of 550 m, cable-stayed bridges with main span of 1 088 m and suspension bridges with main span of 1 650 m have already been built. Moreover, two sea-crossing bridges with overall length over 30 km have also been opened to traffic. This paper briefly introduces China's major bridges, including girder bridges with spans greater than 200 m, arch bridges with spans greater than 400 m, cable-stayed bridges with spans greater than 600 m, and suspension bridges with spans greater than 1 200 m. These bridges represent technological progress in such aspects as structural system, materials, as well as construction methods and equipment.